OESC sees decline in continued and initial claims

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) reports a steady decline in continued unemployment claims with the continued claims four-week moving average dropping for the 26th consecutive week.

“It’s promising to see another week of declining claims,” said OESC Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt. “We’ve watched as initial and continued claims have fluctuated throughout the month of December and we’re hopeful additional relief is on the horizon. When and if President Trump signs a relief package, it is important to note we cannot distribute additional funds until we receive guidance from the Federal Department of Labor. We know Oklahomans are anxious to find out more about what is to come and we will continue to provide updates as we learn more.”

Weekly Unemployment Numbers for Week Ending Dec. 19

For the week ending Dec. 19, the advance number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 4,270, a decrease of 1,027 from the previous week’s revised level of 5,297.

Initial claims’ four-week moving average was 4,819, a decrease of 391 from the previous week’s revised average of 5,210.

The advance unadjusted number of continued claims totaled 36,785, a decrease of 8,221 from the previous week’s revised level of 45,006.

Continued claims’ fourweek moving average was 43,550, a decrease of 3,062 from the previous week’s revised average of 46,612.

Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims during the same period was 803,000, a decrease of 89,000 from the previous week’s revised level, the U.S. Department of Labor reports. The fourweek moving average was 818,250, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week. For the week ending Dec. 12, DOL reports the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.6%, a decrease of 0.2 percentage point from the previous week’s revised rate.

The national weekly seasonally adjusted initial claims report is one of 10 components in the Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators. To smooth out the volatility in the weekly initial claims data, a four-week moving average is used to assess trends.

Claimant Resources Individuals seeking unemployment benefits under the CARES Act should go to https://ui.ok.gov and create an account with the Get Started button to connect their social security number and pull all unemployment information into one location.

Unemployment claimants should be aware that not returning to work when recalled or when work is available could potentially lead to disqualification from receiving unemployment benefits.

Employers may report this activity by emailing returntowork@oesc.state. ok.us, calling 405-962- 7524, or mailing OESC at P.O. Box 52006, Oklahoma City, OK, 73152-2006.

If a claimant returns to work full time, they should keep their unemployment claim open with OESC and not certify a weekly claim. If they return part time, a claimant may continue to certify their weekly claim and must report all gross earnings for the week to potentially receive a partial benefit. Eligibility for continued benefits is determined on the circumstances of each individual claimant.

OESC is an excellent resource for people looking to re-enter the job market by connecting Oklahomans with available employment through https://okjobmatch.com/.

If a PUA-eligible claimant reopens their business, they will still receive backdated unemployment benefits to when their COVID-19-related job loss or business closure occurred.